Study finds metabolically active microbes on 5,300-year-old Ötzi the Iceman remains

Summary

Researchers studying the 5300-year-old mummified remains of Ötzi the Iceman have discovered that some microbes on his body may still be metabolically active despite being kept in icy conservation conditions. Ötzi was discovered in 1991 thawing from an Alpine glacier near the Austria-Italy border, and lived between 3350 and 3120 BC. The study identified bacteria that lived in his gut when he was alive, as well as cold-tolerant fungi that colonised his body after death. This research provides new insights into ancient microbial life and preservation.